Separating devices for record sheets and carbon paper



Jan. 10, 1956 Filed Sept. 16, 1955 B. WEINSTEIN SEPARATING DEVICES FOR RECORD SHEETS AND CARBON PAPER 51 LLTO NAME A DDIZES QUANTITY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q5 do O I P 6 1%75 -E 7 W E1! 7 IN VEN TOR.

BERT WEINSTEJIN BY I 1- 0 B. WEINSTEIN Jan. 10, 1956 SEPARATING DEVICES FOR RECORD SHEETS AND CARBON PAPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 16, 1953 INVENTOR.

WE IN STEIN AMI/7N5) 2,730,174 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 SEPARATING DEVICES FOR RECORD SHEETS AND CARBON PAPER Bert Weinstein, New York, N. Y.

Application September 16, 1953, Serial No. 380,423

9 Claims. (Cl. 164--84.5)

This invention relates to a device having the general appearance and functions of a clip board, and adapted for separating a plurality of record sheets from the carbon or transfer sheets with which they are initially interleaved.

In many businesses, manifolds are widely used as, for example, in sales books, investigation reports, inspection records, etc. Commonly, a set of record sheets, interleaved with a set of transfer sheets, is initially secured to said transfer sheets at one end of the set. Perforations or score markings are provided on the record sheets adjacent said end of the set, but not on the transfer sheets. When the records have been made, the record sheets are torn along the perforations and thus separated from the transfer sheets.

The removal of the record sheets is a time consuming and inconvenient duty, and is particularly annoying when required at frequent intervals during the preparation of a substantial number of records over a relatively short period of time. The present invention has as one important object, accordingly, the provision of a means mountable on a clip or base board, that is adapted to swiftly detach the record sheets from the transfer sheets and separate the two types of sheets in a manner that will reduce measurably the amount of time and effort that would ordinarily be required.

Another object of importance is to effect the movement of the separating means responsively to a light pressure exerted on a conveniently disposed button.

A further object is to permit one form of the invention to be used to advantage on sheets of various sizes, this being of importance in view of the fact that some sets of records are longer than others.

Still another object is to permit the device to be used for separating the sheets of a set of records included as the uppermost of a substantial number of sets all secured to a single board.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a separating device formed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view.

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view taken from the left of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the clip carriers.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line 77 of Fig. 1.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied to a flat, rectangular base board having at one end a stationary clip assembly 12. The clip assembly 12 (see Fig. 2) includes a fixed, lower clip member of L shape having a horizontal leg 14 attached to the underside of the base board by screws 16. The lower clip member projects beyond said end of the board, the projecting portion being extended upwardly and being formed at its upper end with hinge sleeves 18 receiving a hinge pin 20 extending transversely of the base board. An upper clip member 22 is swingably mounted on the hinge pin and is normally urged to the paper-gripping position thereof shown in Fig. 2, by a spring 23 circumposed about the hinge pin.

The upper clip member may, as shown, he formed substantially in the shape of an inverted U, with a top portion 24 merging into a depending jaw 26 having a toothed bottom edge. This construction is particularly adapted to facilitate grasping of a substantial number of sets of records, and for the purpose of shifting the upper clip member upwardly for insertion or removal of said sets, a handle 28 may be integrally formed thereupon.

Parallel rods 30 are mounted on the other end of the board, and extend longitudinally of the board in closely spaced relation to the side edges thereof. Rods 30, at their inner ends, are threaded for engagement in complementariy threaded openings formed in the upstanding legs of L-shaped support brackets 32 secured to the board 10. The outer ends of the rods are extended through smooth-walled openings in L-shaped brackets 34 secured to the board adjacent the end thereof remote from the clip assembly 12.

The rods 30 define a trackway for a movable clip assembly, and can be disengaged from the brackets for facilitating manufacture or maintenance through the provision of knurled knobs 36 attached to the outer ends of the rods. By rotation of the knobs in one direction, the rods are unthreaded from the brackets 32 for removal, and by rotation of the knobs in an opposite direction, the rods are fixedly mounted in place.

Circumposed about the rods are springs 38. Each spring has one end abutting against the adjacent bracket 32 and its other end against a washer 40 loosely slidable on the rod. The washers 40 are in contact with clip carriers 42, 44, that slide upon the rods 30 and are normally urged in a direction away from the stationary clip assembly 12 by the springs.

The clip carriers can be formed from flat metal stock, cut and bent to shape. The carrier 42 (see Fig. 5) is formed at one end with upwardly rolled sleeves 46 receiving the associated rod 30, said sleeves merging into a flat body provided intermediate its ends with depending feet. The feet 48 have rounded lower ends slidably contacting the surface of the board 10, to stabilize the carrier during its slidable movement on the rod.

Between the sleeves 46, the carrier is integrally provided with an outwardly extending tongue 50 the underside of which has one or more ratchet teeth 52. At the other end of the carrier, upwardly projecting spring leaves 54 are provided.

The carrier 44 is formed identically but oppositely t0 carrier 42, except for omission of the tongue 50.

The carriers are adapted to support the opposite ends of a movable clip assembly generally designated 56, extending transversely across the board between the rods 30 and carriers 42, 44. The assembly 56 includes a hinge pin 58 the ends of which are removably engaged between the spring leaves of the respective carriers. A lower clip member 60 is formed as a flat, rectangular plate the back edge of which has integral hinge sleeves 62 located at opposite ends of the plate and receiving the hinge pin. Also formed on the back edge of the plate is a rearwardly projecting handle 64.

An upper clip member 66 is of inverted U shape in cross-section and has an upwardly offset handle 68 spaced above handle 64. Hinge sleeves 70 formed on the upper clip member abut against the sleeves 62, the pin 58 extending through said sleeves 70. In the space between sleeves 70, a spring 72 is coiled about the hinge pin, and has its ends bearing against the respective clip members so as to normally urge them toward one another to a closed, paper-gripping position. Teeth 74, faced downwardly and arranged in an end-to-end series on the depending jaw of the upper clip member, engage against the free edge of the lower clip member, for tightly gripping a plurality of sheets therebetween.

A rack bar 76 is extended longitudinally in closely spaced, parallel relation to one of the rods 30 and is supported at its ends upon the ends of a bowed leaf spring 78. The spring 78 is so tensioned as to cause the ends thereof to exert an upwardly directed force tending to elevate the rack bar into engagement with the teeth 52 of the tongue 50, which extends over the rack bar as best shown in Fig. 4. At its midlength point, the spring is fixedly secured to the base board 10.

As shown in Fig. 6, the rack bar is connected at its ends to the spring by rivets 80 extending through slots 82 arranged longitudinally of the spring. This arrangement permits depression of the rack bar, in a manner to be made presently apparent, out of engagement with the tongue 50.

To effect depression of the rack bar, there is provided a manually shiftable button, connected to the midlength portion of the rack bar. A bracket 84 (Fig. 7) is secured to the underside of the rack bar, and extending through said bracket is a finger 86 arranged transversely of the rack bar. The finger 86 is integrally formed on one end of a release rod 88, which extends in parallelism with and close to the rack bar. At its other end, the release rod has a downwardly offset, laterally projecting extension 90 rotatable in a pivot bracket 92 attached to the base board, thus to permit vertical swinging movement of the release rod.

That end of the release rod on which the finger is formed has an outwardly projecting extension formed with a button 94 conveniently disposed for depression by a user.

It will be seen from the above that normally the rack bar is urged upwardly by spring 78 into engagement with the toothed tongue 50. The teeth of the tongue and rack bar, in this connection, are so pitched as to permit the tongue to ratchet over the bar when the movable clip assembly is shifted by a user toward the stationary clip assembly. Therefore, one can shift the movable clip assembly toward the adjacent end of a set of papers designated generally at 96 and including record sheets 98 interleaved with carbon or transfer sheets 100. The springs 38 will, of course, be placed under compression when the movable clip assembly is so shifted, and by pressing the handles 64, 68 toward one another, the jaws of the assembly will be opened to receive the adjacent ends of the record sheets 98. The carbon sheets 100 will not be gripped by said jaws, however, because they terminate short of the ends of the record sheets 98 in a set of the type illustrated.

The movable clip assembly is not only bodily shiftable toward the set 96, but is rockable in each position to which it is shifted, about the axis of the hinge pin 58. This locates the jaws at a selected distance from the base board, to permit gripping of a selected set 96. Although only one set has been shown for purposes of illustration, a substantial number might be supported on the board, with the uppermost set, the sheets of which are to be separated, spaced an appreciable distance above the surface of the board.

The movable clip assembly will be automatically held in the selected position of adjustment to which it is slidably shifted on the trackway, by the interengaging teeth of the rack bar and tongue 50. Subsequently, when it is desired to separate sheets 98 from sheets 100, it is merely necessary to depress button 94 to a slight extent. This lowers the rack bar 76, the spring 78 flattening somewhat. As soon as the rack bar is lowered out of engagement with the toothed tongue 50, the springs 38, tending to expand, will instantaneously shift the movable clip assembly back to its normal position shown. As a result, the papers 98 will tear along perforated or scored lines 102 extending transversely thereof, thus separating them from the carbons with which they were previously interleaved. The carbon sheets can then be torn off or otherwise removed, to expose a new set of papers.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, said holding means including a toothed tongue carried by the movable assembly, resilient means mounted on the base board and a rack bar supported on said resilient means, said resilient means being tensioned to urge said rack bar against said toothed tongue for retaining the movable assembly in said selected position.

2. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, said holding means including a toothed tongue carried by the movable assembly, resilient means mounted on the base board and a rack bar supported on said resilient means, said resilient means being tensioned to urge said rack bar against said toothed tongue for retaining the movable assembly in said selected positions, the rack bar being depressible by the last-named control means out of engagement with said tongue.

3. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, said holding means including a rack bar mounted on the base board and a toothed tongue carried by the movable assembly and engageable by the rack bar to retain the movable assembly in said selected positions, the rack bar being depressible by the last-named means out of engagement with said tongue, said holding means further including a bowed leaf spring anchored at its center to the base board and arranged with its ends pressing upwardly against the rack bar to urge the rack bar against the tongue.

4. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, the movable assembly including a pair of jaws spring pressed toward one another into engagement with the record sheets, the base board having a trackway on which the jaws are slidably mounted, said movable assembly further including a pair of carriers sliding on the trackway with the jaws extending between and being supported on the carriers, the jaws being removably connected to the carriers, said jaws being hingedly connected and including a hinge pin the ends of which are supported by the carriers, the jaws being rockable jointly about the axis of the hinge pin for disposition of the jaws selected distances from the base board.

5. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, the second-named means including a manually swingable release rod carried by the base board and secured to said releasable holding means and adapted when swung to shift the first-named means to an assemblyreleasing position.

6. A device for separating record sheets from transfer sheets with which said record sheets are interleaved, comprising a base board adapted to hold a set of sheets to be separated, a stationary clip assembly at one end of said board adapted to grip all the sheets of the set, a movable clip assembly on the board shiftable toward and away from the stationary assembly and adapted for gripping said record sheets to separate the same from the transfer sheets when the movable assembly is shifted away from the stationary assembly, means releasably holding the movable assembly in selected positions to which it is shifted toward the stationary assembly, and means under the control of a user acting on the holding means to disengage the same from the movable assembly, thus to permit movement of the movable assembly away from said stationary assembly, said holding means including a toothed tongue carried by the movable assembly, resilient means mounted on the base board and a rack bar supported on said resilient means, said resilient means being tensioned to urge said rack bar against said toothed tongue for retaining the movable assembly in said selected positions, said second-named means including a release rod pivotally mounted on the baseboard, a finger on the release rod connected to the rack bar, and a manually shiftable button on the release rod for shifting the release rod in a direction to disengage the rack bar from the tongue.

7. The combination of claim 1, wherein said movable assembly includes a pair of jaws, resilient means urging said jaws together to engage the record sheets, a trackway, said jaws being slidably retained therein, and carrier means sliding in said trackway with said jaws extending between and supported on the carriers.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said jaws are removably connected to the carriers, said jaws being hingedly connected and including a hinge pin the ends of which are supported by the carriers.

9. The combination of claim 3, wherein bracket means are secured to the underside of the rack bar, a finger extending through said bracket transversely to said rack bar and a releasable rod extending adjacent and parallel to said rack bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,503,003 Nehring July 29, 1924 A 2,289,161 Zalkind July 7, 1942 2,518,320 Holman Aug. 8, 1950 2,579,835 Lather Dec. 25, 1951 2,673,612 Zalkind Mar. 30, 1954 

